An emerging framework for providing education to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon

The war in Syria has forced millions of people to risk their lives to take refuge in neighbouring countries. This has brought to spotlight a generation of young people from birth to adolescence ridden with deprivation and direct violence. Provision of formal and non-formal education has been among the many interventions intended to minimize the impact of forced displacement, rehabilitate war-related trauma, ensure some continuity of children’s rights and equip young generations with means to contribute to rebuilding their societies. The mere provision of access to school, however, far from guarantees a safe, appropriate, and enabling education. Indeed, studies in Lebanon suggest that ensuring all refugee children have places in public schools is not only regarded as a key success indicator, but has also given way to refugee children being further marginalized, prone to ongoing violence and socially constructed as a burden to the host community. In this chapter, we draw on evidence from empirical studies in Lebanon and Jordan to suggest a framework of five dimensions for developing educational programmes that provide refugee children with opportunities to begin managing their war-related experiences, offer relevant learning pathways, strengthen supportive social environments and shape policy environments that respond to children’s needs.